Use a tripod to avoid blurred images when you shoot at night.
Lights can be a challenging subject for photographers because even the slightest camera movement can cause a blurred photograph.
To achieve crisp shots of holiday lights, it is essential to keep your camera very steady. Here are three ways to avoid
camera shake:
Use a tripod.
Place your camera on a stable object like a table and use the self-timer.
If nothing else is available, lean against something steady (a tree or a wall) as you hold your camera.
On the other hand, blurry lights can create a beautiful abstract effect. Here's how to achieve that look:
Set the shutter speed manually. Try a range from 1/2 second up to four full seconds.
Get in close to the lights and don't include people in the shots.
Purposefully move the camera as you take the picture.
Increase the ISO to get photos of your illuminated tree.
Here are some pointers for better indoor lighting:
Whenever possible, turn off your flash and turn on other lights in the room.
During the day, shoot near a window so you can capture the natural light. As long as you avoid
harsh sunlight and shadows, natural light is ideal for photography because colors stay true and
the lighting is soft.
The ISO number determines your camera's sensitivity to light. This means when the ISO is high,
it "sees" more light than when it's low. Low-light situations can throw off the sensor.
So, if you're in a lighting situation that would normally call for flash, increase the ISO on your
camera to compensate for not using the flash.
Try these techniques when photographing lights around your home, neighborhood, or downtown area:
Reflections
Photograph lights after a rainfall and capture the reflection in puddles, on the glistening street, or
in shop windows. You can even use your camera's Macro setting to catch a reflection in tree ornaments.
Windows
Take photos of indoor lights (a Menorah or Christmas tree) from outside. The cool tones of evening will
contrast beautifully with the warmth of the scene inside. If you have outdoor decorations, try the opposite
as well.
Car lights
Try slow exposures of cars at night. A shutter speed of a few seconds or longer will make car head and
tail lights appear as long bright streams of light (that is, if the cars are moving), along with capturing
the beauty of surrounding holiday lights.
Here are three ways to use your camera to fine-tune your holiday pictures:
Bracket your shots to make sure they have just the right exposure. First, manually adjust shutter speed or
aperture to what you think is ideal. Then, take a picture one setting below and one setting above that.
One of the three photos will look perfect, and the other two will either look lighter or darker.
Some cameras offer a bracketing feature that lets you take several different shots with different exposures, as in the example seen here.
For evening, try a Night Portrait or Night Scenery
modes on your camera. Both modes use a slow shutter speed. Night Portrait uses the flash and Night
Scenery does not. Both require a tripod or a stable surface.
Override your camera's automatic white balance feature and adjust it manually instead.
Here's why: White balance is your camera's way of creating images with balanced colors. But with holiday lights,
"balanced" colors can end up looking dull and faded, so it's best to set this manually.
When you're getting candles ready for the holidays in your home, trim the candlewicks to reduce the size of the flames.
Smaller flames will make better photos and it's also safer. In addition to taking pictures of the candles themselves,
be sure your holiday shots capture the glow that candles cast on objects, people, and pets.
Take a free online class
in digital photography! Explore the many features of your digital camera, find tips for cropping and editing your
images, and discover new ideas for sharing your photos in creative ways.
Printable version
